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Microsoft's Outlook 98
Is a Flawed Improvement

By

Walter S. Mossberg

Updated April 16, 1998 3:37 p.m. ET

M ICROSOFT CORP.'S business practices are a hot topic of debate today. But one maddening Microsoft maneuver well-known to average PC owners has gotten scant attention in all the court filings, Senate hearings and critical media articles. It's the "Version 1.0 Problem."

Here's how it works. First, Microsoft does its worst: It ships a new product that falls far short of promises. Too often, this version 1.0 has serious design flaws, missing features and outright defects. Then, the company does what it does best: It...